New
Hanover County Clerk is the constitutional custodian of all
court records. The Clerk is elected for a period of four years. The Clerk of Superior
Court has numerous judicial functions unlike other states. Exclusive original
jurisdiction over matters relating to the probate of wills, and the administration
of estates, including appointing personal representatives, auditing their accounting,
and removing them from office if necessary, are other responsibilities assigned
to the Clerk.

The Clerk also presides over many other legal matters including adoptions,
incompetency proceedings, condemnation of private lands for public use, and
foreclosures. The Clerk is responsible for all clerical and record-keeping functions
of the district and superior court. In addition, the Clerk is receives and disburses
money collected each year from court fees and fines.

Wills and estate records are in this office in the Judicial Building. The original
records are in the Department of Archives and History in Raleigh. Court ordered
divisions of estates can be important, since they may list the relationships
of family members to the deceased. Other court records located in this office
are civil and felony litigations. Copies of these records can be made for a
small fee.